Why Every Cat Thinks Your TV is a Window

Screen Grab – 4K

As a cat owner who recently celebrated my cat Marble’s first birthday, I couldn’t help but relate to Simon’s Cat’s latest encounter with television. Marble has become completely fascinated with YouTube bird feeder videos. I’ll put one on and watch him stare at the screen as birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and every other hungry visitor gather around what looks like an endless buffet. His eyes follow every movement, his head darts from side to side, and every once in a while, he’ll inch a little closer, convinced he’s about to catch something.

The funny part is that Marble doesn’t really watch television. He watches through it. As far as he’s concerned, it’s simply a crystal-clear window where birds, squirrels, and chipmunks have mastered the art of staying just out of reach. If cats could file complaints, I’m convinced he’d accuse YouTube of false advertising.

I suppose I have my own relationship with television, too. After a long day, I’ll settle in to watch something, and without fail, I’ll end up falling asleep. At that point, it almost feels like the television is watching me instead. Thankfully, it’s a smart TV and seems to know when I’ve nodded off because it eventually turns itself off. Strangely enough, this happens more often than not when I’m watching Murdoch Mysteries. Maybe solving crimes is just more relaxing than I realized.

That’s why Simon’s Cat’s premise feels so familiar. Simon’s Cat and the kitten accidentally discover the television, and chaos quickly follows. If you’ve ever shared your home with a cat, you’ve probably experienced some version of this yourself. The comments from other viewers are almost as entertaining as the cartoon. Cat owners shared stories about their own furry hunters scratching at the screen, leaping at birds and insects, and in some cases knocking over or destroying their televisions while chasing whatever appeared on the display. Simon isn’t exaggerating nearly as much as you might think.

The biggest difference is the technology. Years ago, bulky CRT televisions weren’t nearly as appealing to cats. Modern flat-screen TVs are a different story. The sharper images and brighter displays are much easier for cats to see, especially when wildlife videos are playing. Unfortunately, they’re also thinner, lighter, and balanced on what sometimes feels like two tiny feet or a single narrow pedestal.

Maybe 4K no longer stands for Ultra High Definition. Around my house, it stands for Ultra High Demolition. One determined leap from Marble, and that expensive television suddenly becomes an extreme sport.

Have you ever assembled one of these modern televisions? You carefully lift this massive, expensive screen out of the box, only to discover that the instructions tell you to attach what look like two tiny legs and call it a day. The first time I put one together, I remember thinking, “That’s it? That’s what’s supposed to keep this thing standing?” They feel surprisingly flimsy for something that’s supposed to support several hundred dollars’ worth of electronics.

It’s no wonder cat owners get nervous. Give a determined cat enough motivation, usually in the form of a bird, squirrel, bug, or even another cat on YouTube, and suddenly that expensive television starts looking less like a TV and more like an oversized domino waiting to fall.

Maybe TV manufacturers should stop bragging about 4K resolution and start advertising Cat Rated instead. Forget refresh rates and HDR. Show me a commercial on YouTube where a one-year-old cat launches itself at a sparrow, and the television doesn’t budge. Now that’s a feature I’d pay extra for.

The funny thing is that there aren’t any published veterinary statistics tracking how many cats are injured by falling televisions. Emergency veterinarians do, however, regularly treat cats injured by falling household objects and other accidents around the home. That’s one reason many pet owners choose to anchor furniture and electronics, especially when they share their homes with curious cats that think every moving object is fair game.

Watching Marble has made me think about that more than once. The television in my office sits on a sturdy base with four wide-set legs, while the one in the living room has a heavy, weighted stand. Looking around, I realized I’ve been subconsciously choosing televisions that have a fighting chance against Marble.

It’s funny how a simple Simon’s Cat cartoon can spark a conversation that nearly every cat owner has had. We laugh because we’ve seen the same behavior in our own homes. Our cats don’t know the birds, squirrels, and insects on the screen aren’t real. As far as they’re concerned, they’re just outside the window, waiting to be caught. They’re simply following thousands of years of instinct.

Until then, I’ll probably keep looking for ways to bolt, strap, or wall-mount every television in the house. Marble doesn’t know the birds on the screen aren’t real. He’s just being a cat. I’m simply hoping his next hunting expedition doesn’t end with me shopping for another television.